Fragile Hearts
by prettylittletaylorswift
Summary: "This isn't fair you know." Aria bitterly spat as she stood hovering over a limp, pale-coloured, and nightgown-clad body lying still in a hospital bed. Her furrowed forehead deepened, portraying a scowl, and she felt her heart grow cold and hard at the sight before her. Rated T for some strong language!


**So I just found this on my laptop, and decided to upload it. I think I might have written it about two months ago, but just forgot it existed. But it's basically just a one-shot of the night Ezra gets shot and how both Aria and Spencer react to it.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

**I don't own Pretty Little Liars...**

"This isn't fair you know." Aria bitterly spat as she stood hovering over a limp, pale-coloured, and nightgown-clad body lying still in a hospital bed. Her furrowed forehead deepened, portraying a scowl, and she felt her heart grow cold and hard at the sight before her.

In response to the silence emanating from the still, although still clinging to life, body, Aria continued, her voice growing stronger with every word of conviction. "You can't just go around doing that, _saving my life_. It's not fair."

Aria began pacing the hospital floor, only a flimsy blue curtain separating her from the world as she had previously known it, and the reality that was presented before her now. She clenched her fists and paced around the bed, turning several times as she felt that same overwhelming eruption of fury and desperation engulf her tiny being.

"You can't just go around, _shattering_ my heart, taking every chance of happiness I _ever_ had, ripping it from me, and then…JUST ACTING LIKE A FUCKING HERO!" Aria's voice began escalating, her small frame shaking as her emotions began flooding out in her words.

"YOU CAN'T JUST TAKE EVERYTHING, _EVERY_ DREAM I _EVER_ HAD OF A LIFE WITH YOU AND THEN DECIDE YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE A FUCKING BULLET FOR ME! YOU CAN'T JUST WALK AROUND _DOING_ THAT!" Aria screamed violently as tears flooded her hazel eyes and began streaming down her cheeks.

After a paralysing moment or two, Aria regained a little control over herself and she walked slowly over to where _his_, where_ Ezra's, _motionless face was positioned. She lowered her head down until her forehead was touching his, mirroring the same action enacted many times by the pair as they professed their undying love for one another. Aria's words began to transition into sobs, and she felt the cold wetness of her tears trailing onto Ezra's face.

Gulping heavily in an attempt to retain her sobs and continue with the words that were one by one, surely breaking her heart almost as hard as his had, that horrifying and nightmarish evening not too many weeks ago.

"You can't just go around, _saving _my life." Aria's voice had quietened significantly, and now only silent tears continued to fall, some inevitably cascading onto Ezra's cheeks. "You don't know how much I need you." Aria's voice broke as she released a torrent of tormented cries, her weeping alarming several concerned yet exhausted and accustomed nurses in the hallway.

Aria wrapped her arms tightly around Ezra's unresponsive frame, and moved her head down so that it was buried deep in Ezra's neck.

* * *

As Spencer Hastings stood behind the barrier of the blue curtain, her heart broke at the sounds of Aria's anguish. Despite desperately wanting to go in and comfort her best friend, something was holding Spencer back. She felt paralysed, unable to move. She took a step back and released her grip of the curtain. _Aria needs this. Aria needs to let out these emotions, and if not to an alive Ezra, then to an unconscious, though still breathing, one. Aria doesn't need me. _At least, that was what Spencer told herself.

The prognosis on Ezra's condition was still unconfirmed, and to be perfectly honest, Spencer's own emotions regarding Ezra's state, were also unconfirmed. A good part of her detested the man who had disguised himself as one thing – a supportive teacher, a loving partner, a trusted friend – and yet hid his true identity – a cold imbecile who cared more about research than actually rescuing his lover and her friends from the horrific nightmare that embodied 'A'.

And then a small, shameful part of Spencer understood. She too, knew what it was like to have a simple curiosity quickly evolve uncontrollably until it became an obsessive need. Ironically, it was her research on Ezra himself, which had become the downfall of Spencer. Disappearing was the simple desire to check that her best friend's boyfriend was truly trustworthy, and replaced it was this ravenous, consuming need to uncover every skeleton in Ezra Fitz's closet. And once the shocking truth was revealed, though as it were, unaided by Spencer's zealous efforts, Spencer couldn't even be there for her friend, the initial motivator for the entire investigation.

No, Spencer couldn't be there. Rather than consoling her best friend, wiping away her tears and supportively burning journal pages with her, Spencer was lying on the cold tiles of her bathroom floor, barely able to lift her head without the feeling of nauseousness sweeping over her body. Rather than offering emotional support and comfort to her best friend, at a time when Spencer _knew_ Aria needed her most, Spencer had been violently shivering and sweating as the effects of withdrawal paralysed her body.

And so as Spencer stood beyond the barrier of the blue curtain, once again separate from Aria, she felt a single tear slip down her pale cheek and that all-too-recognisable wave of helplessness rush over her. But no, _this time_ Spencer would be different. _This time_ she would be there for Aria. _This time _she would be the friend Aria needed her to be. She gripped the blue curtain tightly in her shaking hand, and pulled the barrier aside.

**So what did you think? It's a little depressing, I know, but I still wanted to see what you all thought. **

**Please review! I'll love you forever! :)**


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